Literary Criticism and Transcendentalism

What are we doing? The TSL timed writing will be on 11/1. It focuses on the novel and transcendentalism and uses literary criticism to convey an idea. That’s a lot of stuff, so we need to practice.

Researching Transcendentalism Two frames: New Historical and Biographical Criticism. Choose one theory for Emerson and the other for Thoreau. Research both authors in regards to the theory you gave them. Research can be bulleted out (does not need to be paragraphs or complete sentences). Cite where you get your information. You need at least three sources for both authors, and Wikipedia is not a source.

Ask Yourself... Historicism How does the work interpret and present historical events that occurred during the author’s lifetime? Does the work's presentation support or condemn the events in question? How does the work interpret/present political leaders and political movements? How does the work consider traditionally marginalized populations? Biographical How did the region in which the author was raised influence? How did the author’s economic status influence him? What were the author’s religious beliefs? What were the circumstances of the author’s education?

Writing with Lit Crit and Transcendentalism You have research. You have works by said authors. These two are now going to be combined. Using what you have found, write a paragraph that discusses one of your authors through the lens of one literary theory. Example: “Self-Reliance” mentions the current state of America (1850s), so you can pose the idea that Emerson’s work reflects something about the time. Example: Thoreau was a non-conformist his entire life; connect this idea with his ideas in either work.